Tomorrow will mark the halfway point in my radiation therapy adventure. So far it’s been little adventure and a lot of stress and exertion.
For one thing, going to the clinic every day is the closest I’ve come to having a “job” since I had to retire. When I was actually working, I had a gazillion things to do every day and I generally got a bazillion of them done. Never everything, but a lot, just the same. Now, just getting out of the house and all is a “job.”
As my sister reminded me, though, it’s a temp job. Whew!
Nowadays taking a shower is a big deal and while I like feeling squeaky clean with shiny hair, I don’t care for the feeling of exhaustion that follows. So, I don’t take one every day; I use my mom’s “birdy bath” idea and so far I haven’t noticed any of the techs turning up their noses at me. Yet. Skimping on showers is a major way I can think of to make sure I have enough energy from one day to the next to keep on keepin’ on.
And I sure will be glad when I can use deodorant again and feel less offensive.
Other than the effort to keep from stinkin’ and to keep going to the clinic every day, the only major effect I’ve noticed is a certain reddening of the skin and maybe some increased sensitivity. The sensitivity is so slight that I can’t even be sure of it. The redness is definite, though.
Thank goodness for SO’s willingness to come over from his job almost next door just to get my wheelchair out of the truck and then to get it back in again. I could probably get it out but I can’t be sure I’d get it back in. I’m fairly strong, or I used to be, but it’s pretty heavy and the truck door doesn’t open as far as the door of the van did. It’s a squeeze. And I need lots of room.
I remember they said something about expecting fatigue but I don’t know if that’s a function of the radiation or just the daily grind. At least I have the weekend to rest, though.
Now if only I didn’t have the laundry to do on the weekend…
Good going, Sam . . . . . keep on truckin’! BTW, did you know that men can do laundry? If you ask them nicely and tell them how (i.e., use cold water wash, do the linens separately, don’t put the stretch pants in the dryer, etc.) they can do almost as good a job as we do. The only thing they don’t seem to “get” is that if the clothes aren’t shaken and smoothed as they come out of the dryer, someone’s going to have to iron. Just be there when that step happens. You need and deserve your weekends off at this point in your treatment. We tend to be inept at asking for help, even when we’re being irradiated!
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Hey, there, Samantha! Good to see you. Yup, I know men can do laundry ’cause my dad got really good at it when my mom had kidney cancer metastasized to the bone. And he was sick with COPD himself. But I was just grousing more than actually complaining about doing it. And SO works really hard himself and is stressed even more than I am, I think. Plus, with his own diagnoses of “dementia” and some nagging leftovers from a stroke, I think it’s easier to do myself, no matter if I grouse or not, than to try to teach him. But if it came to that, I think he’d do me proud, even if it did take quite some time.
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Sam, I admire your feisty, fighting spirit and your sense of humor in the face of limitations. You deserve a weekend off where someone else does the laundry!
Hugs,
Kathy
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Thanks for your comment, Kathy. I don’t think of myself as feisty but I suppose I could be seen that way. I’ve often thought, though, if I got into something that was REALLY tough I’d probably give up or just let it take its course. But ya never know…
As for laundry, well, maybe not quite up to SO yet, but he’s a fairly good cook and if he’s too tired for that, he’s pretty good at choosing carry out! LOL
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Hi Sam! I have aquick question for you and was wondering if you could email me when you have a moment! Thanks hvsj12 at gmail dot com – Looking forward to hearing from you soon! 🙂 xoxo H
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